Art Chemist series

Art Chemist is an interactive performance and installation that operates as a space somewhere between an apothecary, therapist’s office and arts’ directory offering unique prescriptions and creative cure-alls. This site responsive draws on international studies which support the benefit of ‘arts on prescription’ for improving mental wellbeing as well as a desire to support and showcase local arts communities.

Art Chemist Auckland, 2023

Supported by: Auckland Pride & Boosted

Each installation and the following one-on-one consultations are responsive both to the location and individual. A local 'art directory' is built up and used to create prescriptions for each person that takes part. The work is gentle and earnest with a touch of the familiar yet absurd; it offers a chance to connect, reflect and see the city through new eyes.Art Chemist was first devised for an empty space in Christchurch's central city in 2021.

Auckland Pride Festival

Performers:
Aiwa Pooamorn, Murdoch Keane,
Elle Wootton, Jess Holly Bates, Josiah Morgan, George Fowler,
Aurea Crolla, Mike Wood, Gabby Gee

Since then it has been a headline event at The Performance Arcade 2022, hosted by Te Atamira in Queenstown and popped up in other locations around Ōtautahi. The work was also shown in the Zonta Ashburton Female Art Awards (ZAFAA) at Ashburton Art Gallery where Audrey was announced as the 2022 ZAFAA Premier Award winner. In Feb 2023, Art Chemist was part of Auckland Pride.

Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland

Performers:
HuiHann Wee, Nikki Brough,
Kasi Valu, Gemishka Chetty,
Millie Hanford, Stellar Pritchard,
MJ Lee, Jennifer K Shields

Art Chemist Nelson, 2022

Supported by:
Nelson Arts Festival
Kismet Cocktail & Whiskey Bar

Photography: Melissa Banks & Khye Hitchcock

Nelson Arts Festival

Performers:
Ann Braunsteiner, Amber Clausner, Damara Sylvester, Felicity Pallesen aka Flossie Fizzberry, Katie Powell Wright, Khye Hitchcock

Whakatū, Nelson

Art Chemist Queenstown, 2022

Supported by:
Central Lakes Arts Supports Scheme, Te Hau Toka Southern Lakes Wellbeing Group and Te Atamira

Photography: Khye Hitchcock

Te Atamira

Tāhuna Queenstown

Art Chemist Ashburton, 2022

ZAFAA Premier Award winner

Photography: Khye Hitchcock

Zonta Ashburton Female Art Awards (ZAFAA)

Ashburton Art Gallery

Art Chemist Pōneke, 2022

Supported by:
Creative New Zealand, Wellington City Council, The Performance Arcade

Photography: Khye Hitchcock

The Performance Arcade

Performers: Amber Clausner, Khye Hitchcock, Zoe Higgins, Eli Joseph, Sameena Zehra, Louie Zalk-Neale, Shania Bailey-Edmonds, Anna Persson, Sabrina Martin, Jacob Brown, Kasi Valu, Ethan Morse, Madi Duffy, Weichu Huang

Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington

Art Chemist Ōtautahi, 2021

With support from:
Christchurch City Council, Life in Vacant Spaces, The Green Lab, Phantom Billstickers, Natural Paint Company, Studio Momentum

Photography: Janneth Gil

Cathedral Junction

Performers: Georgie Sivier, Josiah Morgan, AJ Juer, Gaby Montejo, Min Young Her, Orissa Keane, Jake Arona, Talia-Rae Mavaege, Nina Oberg-Humphries, Virginia Kennard.

Ōtautahi Christchurch

Audrey Baldwin

Audrey Baldwin works in curation installation interactive performance production public programme public intervention video

Audrey Baldwin works in curation installation interactive performance production public programme public intervention video